German Published Patent Application No. 102 31 557 describes a method and a device for triggering and implementing a deceleration of a vehicle for preventing a collision, in which, using a device for the distance and velocity control of the vehicle, objects are detected in the detecting range of the sensor, and for each detected objects measured variables are ascertained, the detected objects are assigned to different object classes on the basis of the ascertained, associated measured variables, and on the basis of the assignment of the detected objects to the respective class, the movement trajectories of the objects are predicted. From these predicted movement trajectories of the objects and the associated detected object class, additionally a collision risk is ascertained and if a specifiable collision risk exists, then the deceleration devices of the vehicle are triggered as a function of the degree of the collision risk.